Effect of talc and diatomite on compatible, morphological, and mechanical behavior of PLA/PBAT blends

Abstract

Biodegradable nanocomposites were prepared by melt blending biodegradable poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(butylene adipate-co-butylene terephthalate) (PBAT) (70/30, w/w) with diatomite or talc (1–7%). From the SEM test, the particles were transported to the interface of two phases, which acted as an interface modifier to strengthen the interfacial adhesion between PLA and PBAT. Talc and diatomite acted as nucleating agents to improve the crystallization of PBAT in the blends by DSC analysis. Moreover, adding the particles improved the tensile and impact toughness of the blends. The elongation at break with 5% talc was 78% (vs ∼21%) and the impact strength was 15 kJ/m2 (vs ∼6.5 kJ/m2). The rheological measurement revealed that the talc and diatomite reduced the viscosity of the blends. The results showed a good possibility of using talc- and diatomite-filled PLA/PBAT blends with high toughness for green-packaging and bio-membranes application.

Electrically conductive nanocomposites based on poly(lactic acid)/flexible copolyester blends with multiwalled carbon nanotubes

“…Comparative observation of these micrographs suggests the higher agglomeration and more pronounced preferential localization of MWCNTs with higher filler content (suggested by micrographs in Figure 3c,d) in the PBAT phase. Sarul et al and Ding et al have further reported that filler particles preferentially localize in PBAT phase, however, a portion of it also moves toward the interface and PLA phase at higher filler content 44,45 . The morphology of ecovio/10 wt% MWCNT composite (see TEM micrographs in Figure 3) is consistent with earlier works.…”

“…These morphologies reported in the literature are comparable to the morphology of ecovio/ 3 wt% MWCNT nanocomposites in this work. Similarly, Sarul et al and Ding et al have reported the dispersion of minority phase throughout the major phase of neat PLA/PBAT blends in the form of sea‐islands 44,45 . Based on this information and the SEM micrographs presented in Figure 2, PLA droplets as sea‐islands embedded in the PBAT component of neat ecovio used in this work can be predicted.…”

Phase Morphology, Mechanical, and Thermal Properties of Calcium Carbonate-Reinforced Poly(L-lactide)-b-poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(L-lactide) Bioplastics

“…It was further seen that the stress at yield, stress at break, and Young’s modulus of the block copolymer-based composites decreased as the CaCO 3 ratio increased beyond 5 %wt. This may be due to the agglomeration of the CaCO 3 at high ratios resulting in the reduction on the reinforcement of CaCO 3 in the composites [ 32 , 33 ]. The strain at break of the block copolymer-based composites decreased steadily as the CaCO 3 ratio increased because of the high rigidity of the CaCO 3 mineral filler.…”

Enhancement in Crystallizability of Poly(L-Lactide) Using Stereocomplex-Polylactide Powder as a Nucleating Agent

“…However, the poor crystallizability of PLLA is an important limiting factor restricting its use in many applications [ 8 ]. Processed PLLAs resulted in low-crystallinity-content products that have poor heat-resistance [ 9 ]. Moreover, the biodegradability and barrier properties of PLLAs strongly depended on PLLA crystallinity [ 8 ].…”

“…Moreover, the biodegradability and barrier properties of PLLAs strongly depended on PLLA crystallinity [ 8 ]. Various methods have been investigated to enhance the crystallization ability of PLLA, such as by nucleating-agent addition [ 8 , 9 ] and plasticizer blending [ 8 ], flow-induced crystallization [ 10 ], and stereocomplexation [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. The addition of organic and inorganic nucleating agents has been extensively and commonly used for the promotion of PLLA crystallinity by reducing the nucleating barrier and increasing nucleating sites [ 8 , 14 , 15 ].…”